Pokewars
by thatwriterguy44
Summary: Join Charmander, Torchic, Chikorita, Piplup, Tepig and Froakie on a journey of war and loss.


**Part 1: Warriors Emerald**

**Act I: Destruction**

**-Fire Faction-**

Charmander woke from his sleep. The small, orange skinned lizard stood up on his two stubby feet attached to his small, fat legs as he got out of his bed. He looked over at his tail, making sure that the fire that was supposed to be ignited on it had not gone out in his sleep. Thankfully, the fire was still there, burning like a candle. Charmander used his dark blue eyes to gaze around the room, making sure everything was in order. He wasn't that much of a neat freak, but he still didn't want his room a mess in the case that his father came inside. Now he was a clean freak!

Charmander ran his tongue along his dagger-like teeth. He was starved, having not been able to eat last night. They had needed to ration their food due to the war, and Charmander had sacrificed his dinner in order for others to get the strength that they needed to survive. They were losing soldiers day by day. They didn't want to lose any civilians.

There was a knock on the door. Charmander walked over and turned the handle. Greeting him was the protruding snout of what appeared to be a dragon. Its emerald green eyes, lighter than it's dark green wings, looked at Charmander happily. Of course, Charmander could tell that his dad's happiness was only a rouse. The war had taken a toll on all of them, his father especially. Charizard was one of the Council Members.

His father walked in. Charmander was able to see his father's rib cage through his skin. It made Charmander's heart skip a beat, knowing that his father was starving. He hadn't seen his dad touch a plate of food in days. He knew that, if his dad starved himself any longer, he could easily just drop dead in the middle of a council meeting. But, as he always said, "People before Politicians." How being a councilmen means you were a politician, Charmander did not understand.

"Son," Charizard said, looking down at his boy, "I need you to be prepared."

"For what?" Charmander asked his father. There had not been a battle in months. Had a rival faction challenged them?

"The Water Faction has challenged us for the Red Desert," Charizard replied. He walked out of his son's room, leaving him to prepare for the fight.

Charmander was unsure whether he should feel scared or happy. He had become a novice in the Fire Army a few months ago, right after the battle in which Fire had won the Red Desert, named the Blue Desert back then, from the Water faction. All he had done was a bit of training with his father on controlling the power of fire, and using a few bladed weapons after training hours. But this would be his first real battle!

He had heard stories of novices chickening out on their first battle and hiding inside the tanks, or getting killed real easy due to a lack of concern for themselves. But Charmander had been training for almost half a year. He was ready for what lay ahead. He had to be prepared, for both the sake of his faction, and the sake of his city.

**-The War-**

No one knew how long the war had been going on for. All they knew was that each type of Pokemon were fighting against one another in order to take all the land that was on this single- continent planet. Flying type, Water type, Grass type and Poison type, all of them in their own separate factions, all fighting for world domination. They fight for both land and cities, trying to expand the reaches of their factions. Each faction wishes to wipe out one another, in order to gain control of their world.

All anyone knew about the origin of the war was that almost every Pokemon who was alive on the first day of the war had died long ago. Now, this generation was tasked with trying to rule the continent, and take the land away from the opposing factions. Throughout the war's time, the war had cost the lives of tens of millions, if not more, due to the ferocious and destructive battles that were waged throughout.

No one knew of the war would end. Many had the opinion that the war would go into infinity, no faction ever truly winning or losing. Others believed that, over time, the factions would end up destroying themselves as war techniques and new technology became more advanced. Even those who believed that their faction would rule the land had their doubts about the victory being a sweet one.

**-Fire Faction-**

The thought of bitter defeat had not crossed Charmander's mind as he merrily walked down the hall of the Council Mansion. Each faction had one of these located at the center of their capital city. It was where the members of the factions Council, as well as their families, lived. This system was invented to make it easier for faction meetings to occur whilst avoiding outside inconveniences making members late.

Charmander thought back to his first day of training, reminiscing about how his father had taught him what the members of the Council did. He had been taught that four Council Members were elected every six years, and could serve up to three terms if they wanted. They could serve more if no one was running against them in an election. The Council Members decided upon everything that happened within the faction, from food supply, training, and battles. It was a difficult job that Charmander knew was weighing his father down in his old age.

As he was walking down the hall, Charmander passed by the room of a friend of his, Tepig. Tepig, a fire pig with a black stripe on his back, a springy tail and a yellow forehead whilst most of the rest of him was orange, had broken his leg. Tepig was a bit older than Charmander, having become a novice a month before him. His latest battle had not gone so well. It had been against the Bug faction, trying to take the Emerald Forest from them. While their faction had won, Tepig's leg had been broken by a Bug soldier before the soldier was put down by one of their Fire soldiers. Tepig was in the mansion because of it doubling as a hospital for battle injuries.

Charmander, along with his friend, Torchic, had made it a usual routine to always visit Tepig in the morning to see how he was feeling. His mother and father had been held captive by the Water faction, captured on a scouting mission on what was now the Red Desert. The battle that had taken place for the desert before Charmander became a novice had begun with a member of Water's Council, Empoleon, beheading the two in cold blood. Ever since, Tepig had tried to remain his happy-go-lucky self, but it was hard. Charmander could relate. His mother had died a few years back, in a battle that Charizard didn't like to discuss.

Charmander entered Tepig's room. He chuckled, seeing Torchic already in an excited conversation with him. The three large, feather-looking crests made of smaller feathers on her head were in a rumpled mess. Her beak was chattering away. Her orange feathers seemed to be ruffled up in excitement. Charmander walked over. The conversation stopped as the two of them looked up to their approaching friend. "Hi!" Charmander said with a smile.

"Come sit down!" Tepig replied, grinning. Torchic moved a bit closer to Tepig so Charmander could sit at the end of the bed. He sat down, noticing the white cast that had been placed around his hog friend's leg. "Cast still feeling good?" Charmander asked.

"My leg is still stiff as a board, but other than that, I'm all good," Tepig stated.

"I was just telling Tepig about our first day on the battlefield," Torchic said, turning her gaze towards Charmander.

"Not gonna hide in the tank, are you?" Tepig asked Torchic.

She turned to him, eyes lit up. "Like hell I would!" she replied, nudging him friendly.

"Easy," Tepig laughed, "I fall out of this bed I'm in it for another six weeks."

Torchic giggled. Charmander looked at the analog clock sitting on Tepig's bedside table. It read 8:00 AM. "Crap!" Charmander said.

Noticing the clock, Torchic's eyes grew wide. "Dammit!" she said. She looked over at Tepig. "Sorry, were running late. We'll come back after the battle and tell you all about it."

"You better," Tepig replied, smiling. Torchic smiled back as her and Charmander left the room.

Tepig continued to smile at the door when they were gone. He watched the door with a piercing gaze for a few more seconds, making sure one of them wasn't going to come back in to tell him something else. Ensured that the coast was clear, Tepig pulled a phone from out under the blankets of his bed. He took it and dialed a four digit number, "8-4-0-1."

The phone rang for a few seconds. Tepig felt adrenaline rush through his body as a voice came out from the other end. "Hello?" said the voice.

"Th-they're going to their first battle, sir," Tepig said into the phone.

"You don't need to call me 'sir' you know," the voice replied.

"Sorry sir. I mean, just sorry."

"And you are sure they are the ones?"

"Positive. I'll tell them after they return from the battle."

"Thank you, Tepig."

"No problem."

Tepig hung up the phone, sighing with relief. He had not expected the call to go as smoothly as it had. He was only fourteen, and he was still not too sure as to how he had been pulled into this. But he just shrugged it off. He knew these people, as he had met a few of them. They weren't bad people.

**-The Red Desert-**

Piplup stood next to his father, the warm air of the desert having caused him to acquire a minor sore throat. The small wind gusts were causing small, insignificant dust clouds to spring up briefly before they disappeared. Piplup observed this with boredom, scratching his blue, round head with his flipper from time to time. He patted one of his yellow webbed feet in annoyance whilst he licked his beak.

His father, Empoleon, had noticed the boredom in the blue eyes of his son, as well as in his behavior. He was itching for his second battle. While observing his son with his dark blue eyes through the trident that formed a mask on his face that stretched down to his beak, Empoleon noticed his son glare at him. The look had told his father to watch for the enemy, and Empoleon obeyed.

Piplup had not been in a battle for three months. Their last battle with the Fighting faction had not gone over very good, as they had lost the Shady Falls because of them. Piplup had lost something else, but he didn't want to think about that at the moment. He just wanted to look ahead and observe the landscape as his father was doing.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see his childhood friend, Froakie, smiling at him. Piplup felt a bit happier knowing that Froakie was at the battle with him. The blue frog and he had been friends for as long as both of them could remember. They would always joke around and play, Piplup sometimes telling Froakie that the white fur around his neck looked like a neck beard.

They had both started their training together, though Froakie had come down sick during Piplup's first battle. So, as a rookie to battles, Piplup had been planning on showing his friend the ropes. However, as he had stood in the dusty desert thinking, he realized that, no matter what he told Froakie, the battle would still be an energy drainer.

"So," Froakie said after Piplup had stared at him in silence for a long while, "You gonna show me the ropes, or..." his friend trailed off, hoping for a response from the blue penguin.

Piplup just shrugged. "There isn't much to show," he replied. "You just have to be ready, fight fast, and hit hard."

"Wise words from a clown like you," Froakie laughed.

Piplup chuckled a bit at his friends' remark. Talking to Froakie had definitely helped with the depressed haze Piplup had been clouded in for the past few hours. Froakie was always the type of person who knew exactly what to say. He just hoped he wouldn't lose Froakie like how he had lost...

Piplup's thoughts trailed off. Froakie could tell what Piplup was thinking about, so he patted his friend on the back. "Dude, I know," he said. "But he's up there with Arceus now."

"Yeah," Piplup said. Arceus was considered a god to all Pokemon on the planet. However, after the Fighting faction incident, he had started to doubt in the god Pokemon's existence. He just couldn't see a god like that putting such a good person to death. Everyone would always tell Piplup that Arceus worked in mysterious ways. To Piplup, though, Arceus hadn't been working at all.

He was taken out of thought when Empoleon stepped out of line. He knew his father was about to give his signature speech. A speech from a Council Member was always in order to pump the Water faction up before heading into a fight. This time, it was Piplup's father's turn to speak. He cleared his throat, and began:

"Members of the Water faction; six and a half months ago, we caught two spies trying to scout out our desert. We captured them, and took them to the battlefield after we were challenged for this desert. We had plans to build a city atop this sand, to help us get rid of the overpopulation within our other cities. However, these futile efforts were stopped thanks to the Fire faction.

"We killed their spies in front of them to show us that we meant to keep our land. A battle ensued. It killed thousands of us, and thousands of them, but we were the ones who came out weaker. The members of the Council did not want to lower the population the way it had been lowered. We lost too many.

"And now, what does the Fire faction do with this land? Do they take advantage of it, build it into something useful? No! They let it sit here, taunting us as they use it for nothing. We needed this land, and they took it from us out of spite! Well, no more! This land will be shared, but not with the low-lives that stole it from us."

At the mention of the Water faction sharing land with someone, murmurs erupted through the crowd. Piplup just stared at his father in shock. Who would they share this land with? How would they be able to trust whoever it was the land would be shared with? A figure then walked up and stood next to Empoleon, quieting the murmurs.

The figure had the head of the dragon, with a skinny body. Two arms protruded out, small wings on each of them, claws coming out from the tip of the arm. It had large, powerful legs with spikes above the knee. It had a fin on its back, as well as one on its strong tail. A star was on top of its head, underneath its orange eyes that seemed fitting for a creature with a smile as it had. It had sharp teeth, like a shark's. It had a red stomach that stood out against its purple body.

"Hello," he said. "My name is Garchomp. I am an ambassador and Council Member from the ground tribe. I have come here to offer the services of my people in taking this desert over. In return, all we ask is that we create an alliance with you and your people."

Looking at the power that was easily visible on this creature, the crowd seemed to agree with the prospect of an alliance with this figure and his people. Empoleon, seeing that the crowd seemed to agree with his decision, held out his steel, black flipper. "An alliance it is." He said.

Garchomp stuck out the fin on his arm and wrapped it around Empoleon's flipper. They shook hands, giving birth to an alliance. All of a sudden, ground Pokemon began burrowing up from under the ground, joining with the water soldiers. Piplup looked around, noting that their army had grown to almost twice its regular size. On one hand, he was impressed with how they would easily be able to defeat the Fire faction.

However, on the other hand, he was worried. The ambition in Garchomp's orange eyes had set Piplup off a bit. He was worried that this might have been a ploy by the Ground faction. Once they got close to the Water faction, there was no telling when they would break their alliance. He glanced over to Froakie to see worry in his eyes. He was thinking the same thing.

Piplup looked up at his father, who was discussing battle tactics with Garchomp and another Council Member Piplup could not identify. He noted that, as soon as he could get his father alone, he had to tell him about his suspicions. Even if his father didn't listen to him, it had to be worth a shot.

**-Cafeteria-**

Charmander and Torchic ran into the mansion's cafeteria, five minutes late for breakfast. They knew the line might be long, since most star soldiers ate in the Mansion. Sure enough, they saw the long line for food, and knew that they would only have about ten minutes or so to relax and eat before the battle. Charmander was a bit disappointed, but he could still mentally prepare for the battle while he and Torchic were in line.

Torchic turned to face him, excitement in her eyes. "I just can't wait for that battle!" she said. "I knew all that training wasn't going to be for nothing!"

"You do realize we were gonna battle anyways, right?" Charmander asked, throwing a grin her way.

"I know," she replied with a huge smile on her face. "I just can't believe this is finally happening!"

She may have shouted her last sentence a bit too loud, as the cafeteria went silent, all eyes trained on her. She blushed and giggled. "Sorry about that!" she shouted apologetically. "Just keep eating your meals!" Paying no mind, everyone went back to their breakfast. Torchic breathed a sigh of relief.

Charmander laughed. "Almost got your ego damaged there, huh?" he asked playfully.

She smiled at him. "Oh, shut up!" she replied jokingly. "I'm just so pumped up. I can't hold in my excitement.

"Yeah," Charmander replied back. "But, have you ever thought about having to kill someone on the battlefield?"

From day one of training, Charmander was worried about having to take the life of another Pokemon. Killing had seemed like a foreign concept to him, as he was more the docile type. He knew that Torchic was a bit more outgoing and ruthless. She had given him a nasty cut on his arm during a practice battle. To Charmander, he would only kill if he was attacked.

However, Torchic had a differing opinion. "I think that, if their threatening Fire, they need to die," she said, answering Charmander's question. "What about you?"

"I'm thinking I'll probably only kill someone in self-defense," he responded. "I mean, were just kids, right?"

Torchic looked at him, wide eyed and shocked. "Just because were a long way away from becoming old enough to be on the Council does not mean we don't kill."

"Yeah, but killing someone who isn't doing anything just seems kind of wrong."

"The way I see it is this; they threaten my faction, they threaten me."

"I guess you're right..." Charmander trailed off, rethinking his opinion.

"Of course I'm right!" Torchic boasted. "After all, I was the star student back in school."

Charmader chuckled at the thought. Torchic had been the smartest person from First Year to Ninth Year. All her teachers had praised her as being the perfect student. She knew how to scout undetected, how to share food among groups of stranded soldiers, and she knew how to use medical kits expertly. She was even a tough fighter, second only to Tepig. However, due to his position at the bed with a broken leg, she technically was the best novice in the faction.

Charmander didn't really feel that jealous of her abilities. He was proud of his friend for being the best. The only thing he really worried about was her being too headstrong on the battlefield and charging into an enemy that could kill her with the swipe of an arm. He couldn't imagine the pain that he and Tepig would go through, losing her due to her headstrong nature. It was, aside from dying, the major thing he was worried about once the time for battle began.

Charmander and Torchic received their food and sat down at a table. They talked about how great and thrilling the battle was going to be, however, the conversation did not last long. After a few minutes of eating, they heard the sound of the speakers in the cafeteria turning on. Charizard's voice could be heard through them. Charmander and Torchic perked up to hear what he had to say.

"Attention everyone," Charizard shouted through the speakers. "All soldiers and novices who have been training for more than three months, please report to the barracks. Thank you." The speakers turned off.

Torchic and Charmander smiled at each other excitedly. They threw their lunch into one of the many trash barrels needed for the cafeteria and walked out together. They stepped out into the warm outdoors. They glanced around at the white marble buildings, and walked through the city, making their way to the barracks.

**-Battlefield-**

Chikorita hit her back hard against a rock. The green skin on her side had opened up, causing blood to pour onto the ground. She tried to stand herself up on her four stubby legs, but failed miserably. Out of breath, she fell on her side. The leaf on her head drooped, a hole in it due to the battle. She locked her eyes onto the red fluid of the same color, and sighed in pain.

The Rock faction had attacked for the third day in a row, trying to take the Grass faction's major city, Sapville. Chikorita looked up, trying to spot her father or her sister in the chaos. She spotted Bayleef's large yellow neck in the crowd. She tried to yell out to her sister, but the cut on her side had made her too weak to shout.

Suddenly, she saw Bayleef fall onto the ground. She heard the whirring of a drill, seeing that Rhyperior had drilled a hole into her sister's neck. A fatal blow, just like what he did to Chikorita's side. She closed her eyes, not wanting to witness the death of her sister. When the drilling, stopped, she heard the bipedal rock rhino stomping her way.

Panicked, Chikorita tried to get up on her feet. She fell once more. Looking back, she saw the ruthless, brown and orange rock rhino approaching her. She heard the faint whirring sound again, as the horn acting as Rhyperior's nose began spinning like a drill. Disparity engulfed Chikorita like a tidal wave. She began to crawl as fast as she could towards the medical tank, which was only 50 yards away. She knew it was no use, however, as she could still hear the sound of a drill crescendo as Rhyperior stalked towards her.

Chikorita's life flashed before her eyes. She couldn't do this. This was only her second battle, and already she would be suffering the same fate as her sister. Her sister Bayleef had been such a kind soul. And, only a minute ago, she had died. Just like that. No point in her death, just her dying. Chikorita knew that was what would happen in war, useless nonsensical deaths. But she had never imagined that one of those nonsensical deaths would affect her that much.

Rhyperior was closing in now. She could feel the heat of his breath as the whirring of his nose got closer to her ears. Suddenly, there was a loud pounding. Chikorita looked up to see Venusaur and Rhyperior duking it out. Venusaur had wrapped vines around Rhyperior, and was holding him with all the strength in his body. The grass monster looked over to Chikorita. "Go!" he shouted at her. "I'll hold him off!"

Obeying the Council Member's words, Chikorita continued to crawl with all the strength in her being to safety. She heard a loud thud behind her. She heard the whirring of a drill once again. She heard shouts, and finally, a scream, accompanied by the sound of flesh being drilled into. Chikorita did not dare to look back.

More soldiers began to run by her as she crawled. They didn't even glance at her as they began to charge at Rhyperior. She knew that they wouldn't win. When in his young age, Rhyperior had managed to kill 50 Pokemon single-handedly, which is what had won them what was now their capital city, since their old one had been destroyed in another battle.

Chikorita began to focus on trying to stand. She knew she wouldn't be able to, but it had to be worth a shot. She slowly began to stand, but fell back down. She looked behind her, now noticing the trail of blood that had been left by her side due to her scraping herself against the ground in her disparity to escape.

She looked forward once more to see her people retreating. No one was paying attention to her. Everyone was running for their lives. The medical tank that she had been so close to had begun its retreat in the opposite direction. Chikorita felt her heart race. She was the daughter of a Council Member! They wouldn't leave her!

That was when she was able to make out two Sceptile's. The bipedal grass lizards were carrying a stretcher with a shape on it. Chikorita instantly recognized it as her father, Maganium. The pink flower around his neck had a tint of brown in it. She knew that this was a sign of her father dying.

Knowing that this would be her end, she began crawling towards the tall grass that was near the battlefield. She managed to make it there. She took a look at her wound. Dirt had gotten inside it, and it was still gushing its red, sticky fluid. Sighing, she laid her head down in the grass. She had a good life. A short one, but still a good one. She was happy to have lived the life she had. She closed her eyes, as the screams of the retreating and celebration of the victorious faded from her hearing.

**-The Barracks-**

The barracks were located outside of the walls of the city. From a distance, the city was shining as beams of sunlight illuminated the white marble that made up the buildings. Charmander had never noticed the beauty of the city from a distance. He shuddered at the thought of an enemy army even attempting to storm and demolish the polished buildings.

Torchic walked beside him, both of them in silence. Charmander looked over at her, to see that the excitement had left her eyes, replaced by worry and fear. Charmander could feel his heart pumping fast, telling him that everyone around him could look at his face and tell he was afraid. It wasn't uncommon for a novice in training to be nervous. Charmander noted that, most of the time, he would see novices get called to the barracks, and have their excitement turn to petrified fear.

Charmander chuckled at his own worries. What was there to worry about? Yes, it was true that a novice or two had died in battle in the past, but with the amount of protection the older soldiers would normally give them, Charmander felt that both him and Torchic would be fine.

Still, in his gut, he felt a sick feeling of dread tighten his stomach. He felt like he was about to be sick as they walked farther away from the city. Looking over at his companion, he could see that Torchic felt the same way about this battle. She looked up at him, worry shining in her eyes. Charmander smiled at her, hoping he got his message across that they would be fine.

The barracks were a large 200 foot by 200 foot, one room building. Benches and stairs along the edge of each wall inside the building stretched up to the 100 foot high ceiling. Four podiums designed to suit each of the Council Members faced each side of the room, microphones positioned on each of them. The barracks were flooded instantly with troops.

Charmander had always pondered why this one building was known as the barracks when there was only one barrack. He had asked his father once, who had shrugged it off as something that just was what it was. Charmander followed in his father's example.

The four Council Members stood on their podiums. Charizard was the first to arrive, still looking as tired as he had looked when Charmander had been woken up by him that morning. Following him was Torchic's father, Blaziken. His red body was dark due to the lighting in the building. He used his lanky, orange legs to walk over to the podium. He adjusted the microphone with his long, red arms, making sure his small orange beak was lined up with it.

Next was Typhlosion. He walked out, his bulky, four-legged figure walking over to the podium. The large reptilian, who was able to create a mane of fire around his neck at will, approached his podium, getting up on two legs. He, like Blaziken, adjusted his microphone so the captive audience would be able to hear him speak. Charmander did not know much about Typhlosion. He had interacted with his son, Quilava, once before. But, other than that, he had no connections to this Council Member whatsoever.

Finally, Council Member Moltres slowly walked in on his claws. Whatever silent conversations had been occurring had ceased. Moltres was regarded as one of the most important Council Members due to the battles he had fought in at a young age. Moltres had been known to take out 200 to 300 enemies on his own per battle. Nowadays, he was extremely reclusive, and rarely left his room. And now, here he was, standing in the flesh for all to see.

His wings were folded up as he waddled over to his podium. The fire that ringed his wings was visible to every soldier in the crowd, though the crest of fire on his head was more noticeable. His long beak swung back and forth as he surveyed the dim room. His tail of fire did not move as his blue eyes passed over every soldier in the crowd.

Charmander had only been able to describe this legendary warrior as bad-ass. His very presence was enough to both frighten and mystify Charmander. He looked over to Torchic, who also seemed shocked to see Moltres having stepped foot into the barracks.

Charizard was the first to speak. "My fire brethren," he said into the microphone, "Today we fight the Water faction in order to preserve our desert. The Red Desert is our barrier between us and them. We took it from them to protect ourselves! We do not use it for anything, that is true, but it must still be preserved if we are to stretch ourselves across the land."

Typhlosion spoke next, "Not all of you shall live through this fight. Many of you will fall at the feet of our enemies. However, I have strong faith that those we lose today will not have died in vain. If you are to fall on this battlefield today, you will be missed, remembered, and avenged!"

Blaziken spoke, "May Arceus guide you, protect you, and help you. And may we all be able to rest easy tonight, knowing that our desert is still there, keeping us safe. All troops, march out!"

Soldiers began walking out into the sunlight, grouping together with the Council Members they would be going into battle with. All the Council Members of their faction would be participating in this battle, a rare and somewhat uncomfortable situation.

"Charmander, Torchic!" Blaziken shouted from within the barracks. Both of them turned to see their fathers standing next to each other in the doorway of the barracks.

"You're in our battalion," Charizard explained to them. "Head over there and wait for us."

Charizard had pointed towards a group of Infernape's. The multicolored monkey's were waving their long, red tails around. What was most notable about them was the large spring of fire on top of their heads, a crown of white fur just below it.

As they walked over to the group of soldiers, Torchic looked over at Charmander. "Nervous, huh?" she asked him.

Charmander looked over to her to see that his nervous face was reflecting off her eyes. He laughed slightly. "Yeah, I... I guess I am."

"Don't be," she responded.

"Why not?"

"A novice hasn't died in the Fire faction for nearly a year. What happened to Slugma won't happen to us."

Charmander had been thinking about that incident since they had been called to the barracks. The orange slug had been the first to die in a battle. Charmander couldn't recall who they had fought, where, and if they had won or not. Chances were they didn't.

Torchic nudged him jokingly. "I'm nervous too," she said, a small smile on her face. "I just try to tell myself that we'll live, and that's what i believe."

"Thanks," Charmander responded, a small smile on his face.

"No problem."

They joined the group of soldiers just as they began to pace towards the large, red transport trucks. Tanks and medical trucks of the same color were also scattered everywhere. Some soldiers were preparing those for the oncoming battle as well. Seeing all the tanks made Charmander feel sick. No amount of talking from Torchic could change the fact that he was afraid of death.

-**Cave-**

Chikorita never thought she would open her eyes again. She believed that all she would ever know forever would be darkness. But, when she opened her eyes to see the back of a brownish-gray cave, she knew that she had woken up from the darkness that had encased her in her slumber.

On her stomach, she turned towards the front of the cave. She used her leaf to shield her eyes from the slants of sunlight that penetrated the cave's entrance. Chikorita began to get to her feet, shocked that she could, indeed, stand. She turned towards the back of the cave, just now noticing a small stream of water bubbling next to the rocky back wall.

Her legs managed to get her a few steps closer to the small oasis before they collapsed underneath her. She landed on her side with a thud, wincing in pain. It had been the side Rhyperior had previously sliced open. Looking at it to see how it was doing, she was shocked to see that it had been patched up by yellow spotted leaves. Thinking back, she remembered these were the same leaves she had seen medics in the city use on wounded soldiers.

She began asking herself questions she was unable to answer. Who had saved her? Why? Why wouldn't they have brought her back to the city? Chikorita held these thoughts in her mind for a short while, until coming to the conclusion that, whoever had saved her, had since left.

But why would they leave a novice defenseless and weak inside of a dirty, rocky cave? Her second hypothesis was one that made more sense to her; that whoever had saved her was coming back. Relieved, Chikorita began pulling herself towards the stream, careful not to break the leaves on her side. She eventually made it to the stream. Pulling herself towards the water, she began to gulp it up.

She had not realized how thirsty she was. The water pouring down her throat helped the pain she had been too preoccupied to think about. As the water made it's way down to her stomach, she felt the skin on her side stretch as the leaves fell off. Looking back, she saw the patches of blood on them, seemingly still fresh. Water was what most medics gave to their dying patients as a last resort, due to the Grass faction's small amount of it. A large amount was needed in order to heal life-threatening wounds.

Chikorita sighed with relief as she felt the wound on her side close itself up. She felt the muscles in her legs begin to get stronger. She tested them out once more, and felt that she was able to stand up perfectly. She was healed. Smiling with relief, Chikorita turned back towards the entrance of the cave. Sun still cascaded itself upon the cave.

Testing out her legs, she began walking towards the entrance. Her legs did not wobble, and she did not collapse. After only a minute, she was looking out of the cave entrance. What she saw outside was extremely unfamiliar. The denseness of the forest that lay ahead of her told her she was very deep in it. She guessed she was at least 3 or 4 miles in the forest, and Arceus knows how many miles from Sapville. That is, if it was even standing.

Chikorita thought about Bayleef. Her and her sister had always been close. Her sister had been one of the best novices in the faction when she was Chikorita's age. And now she was just gone. It was such a meaningless death, and Chikorita knew that. She also knew that meaningless death happened all the time in war. But this time was different. That was Bayleef, her sister, the daughter of a Council Member.

Chikorita thought of Maganium. She couldn't get the thought of her father's dying flower, the one around his neck, and the blood she saw. She thought about what would happen if she lost both of them. She wouldn't be able to go on living. Not only that, but her father's death would be such a large blow to the Grass faction. She had already seen Venusaur die, and she knew the faction would not be able to handle losing two Council Members in one battle.

Then she thought of herself. A growing fear began to take her over. What if her father did die? What if he died and she never found her way back home? What if she died out in the forest? Not only would the entire faction be in mourning over the loss of two Council Members in one battle, but they would also be mourning the death of an entire Council Member's family.

That was when Chikorita began to weep. She cried over the death of her sister, she cried for her father, she even cried over her mother who had died giving birth to her. Tears that had been held in since the day she was born finally lept out of her eye sockets and onto the cold, hard floor of the cave. And it felt so good.

Chikorita stopped crying after a few minutes. She began to calm herself down. Crying wasn't going to solve anything here. She had to find her way out of this forest. She had to get back home, she had to know if her father made it.

She stood up. She looked down at her legs, finally mended. She looked out of the cave, and walked out. She knew she was leaving behind somewhere for the night, but night wouldn't be upon her for a long time. Looking up, she could see that the sun wasn't anywhere near the middle of the sky, which would symbolize noon. She hadn't been asleep for very long. Which means that whoever had patched her up had done it quickly and efficiently.

She understood why they hadn't given her water. At first glance, the stream wouldn't seem like that much. It was universal knowledge that a large amount of water was the key to healing Grass types. Chikorita herself had doubted the stream, but she managed to make it work.

She heard rustling in a bush behind her. Turning, she could still see the bush rustling. She knew she had to be alone out here. Who could this be?

She turned around to run, when she heard a voice behind her. The voice sounded like it was coming from the bush.

"Holy shit."

**-The Red Desert-**

Piplup looked over at Empoleon, still conversing with Garchomp. He had been waiting to talk to his father for what felt like an eternity. How could his father decide to ally himself with another faction? Did he not understand how much of a risk that was? What if they turned on them in the middle of the battle? What would his father be able to do then? No amount of apology would make anyone trust him again!

Piplup had been too frustrated to note that Froakie had said something. Turning around, he saw Froakie standing in front of him, looking worried. "Dude, is everything alright?" the water frog asked.

Piplup pushed his frustration down. "Yeah," he replied, "everything's fine. I just... just need to talk to my dad about this whole alliance thing."

"I don't trust them either." Froakie looked over at the two Council Members talking. He looked back at Piplup. "How long do you think they'll keep talking?"

"Hopefully not long," Piplup responded. "This whole thing sounds so fabricated to me. Where were the Ground faction all this time? They could have taken this desert for themselves if they really wanted it!"

"Shush!" Froakie hissed. "Some of the Ground faction soldiers are staring."

Piplup looked at a few of them out of the corner of his eye. Some soldiers from the allied faction were giving them strange looks. Others were looks of alarm, signifying to Piplup that they had heard his assumption, and he had been right.

But that just meant that he had to confront his father as soon as possible. How could he not see the dangers that awaited them when the battle began? Was this some sort of act of disparity? Was his father truly not that sure about how good his own soldiers would do in battle? Piplup had to know. He looked back at his friend. Looking over at his father, he saw he was still talking to Garchomp. He had to risk it.

"I'm going over there," Piplup said to Froakie, his eyes locked on his father and Garchomp.

"Don't do it!" Froakie whispered, "And stop staring at them! Otherwise, if you're right, Garchomp will have both our asses!"

Piplup turned back towards his worried friend. "He'll have our asses either way!" he whispered back.

"Don't-" but Froakie knew it was too late to persuade his friend out of his decision. Piplup was already walking over towards the Council Members. As he wandered closer in to take his father out of the conversation, he could hear what they were saying.

"-and perhaps a shared Capital afterwards," Garchomp finished.

"Well, it seems a bit too early for that," Empoleon chuckled. "But we shall not say it won't happen."

Piplup tried to hide his alarm as he continued to approach his father. A shared Capital? With the Ground faction? Piplup knew that he had to stop this alliance from coming to fruition. Otherwise, it would destroy everything the Water faction had ever worked for.

Empoleon and Garchomp finally noticed him. They both turned and looked down. Instantly, Piplup could feel his face go red. "You must be Piplup," Garchomp said, smiling with his jagged teeth. "Your father has told me so much about you."

"Uh...u-um," Piplup stammered. He had not anticipated the large, dragon-like Council Member to approach him so forward like that. He just looked up at him, stammering like an idiot.

"Sorry," Empoleon jutted in, stopping Piplup's stammering spree. "This is my son's second battle, he's kind of nervous. Last time he lost his... well, you know."

"I understand," Garchomp said, nodding his head as he said this. "If he needs you, I'll leave you two alone. No one's scouted the desert yet, so I'll get on that."

"Thank you, friend,"

"Don't mention it." Garchomp burrowed underground. Piplup saw the shadow underneath begin it's search through the desert for incoming enemies. Empoleon turned back to his son.

"What's wrong?" Empoleon asked.

"What's wrong is this alliance," Piplup retorted. "First, we're going into battle with them, next we're sharing the desert with them, and now you're talking about sharing a Capital with them? How could you even think of any of this! At all! You have made some dumb mistakes in the past, dad, but this has got to be your worst. You honestly believe that that Finny over there is going to keep his alliance with you? You'd be the first one I'd expect to know that something was going on! What have you reduced to? Do you have any idea what you've-!"

Empoleon put his flipper up in front of his son's face, a signal of silence. Piplup looked around. No one had heard his outburst, or they just didn't care. He turned back to his father, who was still looking down at his son in silence. "May I speak?" he asked.

Piplup shrugged. "Go ahead," he urged.

"Thank you," Empoleon replied, lowering his voice. "I am only trying to end this war as fast as possible. With the help of the Ground faction, we can end this war fast. No, you're absolutely right, this alliance is not going to last forever. But, when we have taken everything that everyone else owns, and the Ground faction is at their lowest guard, that is when we strike. That is when the world becomes ours."

Piplup thought about this logic. "But what if the Ground faction tries to take us out first?" he inquired.

"We'll be ready," his father said. "Now, I don't want you telling anyone about this, understand?"

Piplup nodded. "Not even Froakie. You got that, son?" Once again, Piplup nodded.

"Good," Empoleon said, and he once again began to stare off in the direction of the Fire factions Capital.

Piplup walked back over, knowing already the lie he had to tell Froakie. "Well, what did he say?" Froakie asked.

"He just said that was that, and it was final," Piplup replied.

"Damn man, that sucks."

"I know. Why can't he see how much of a threat they are?"

"I know, man. It's so friggin'-" he stopped at the sound of another voice shouting.

"Tanks!" Garchomp yelled. "Get the cannons on ours ready! We have to do it now! Battle stations!"

Piplup looked out towards the row of tanks approaching them. He felt fear grip him. The battle for the Red Desert had begun.

**-Tank-**

Charmander and Torchic both looked out of their tank in fear at the large row of stationary tanks that faced them. Charmander gulped, trying to prepare himself for the oncoming battle. He looked over at Torchic, and saw the nervousness in her eyes.

Charmander looked out the window, shocked, as the tank to the right of them blew to bits.

**Next time... the battle begins.**


End file.
